Side steel for corsets.



No. 835,350. PATENTED NOV. 6, 1906.

J. E. DOOLITTLE.

SIDE STEEL FOR OORSETS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY26.1906.

I awue/wtoz wwwez soeo V E f I att vmgo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES 'E. DOOLITTLE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TOBIRDSEY-SOMERS CO., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

I SIDE STEEL FOR ooRsET s.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. DooLrTTLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in SideSteels for Corsets, of whic the following is a specification.

My'invention relates to spring blades or steels, such as are ordinarilyemployed for stiffening corsets and other articles of'wearing apparel,and has for its object to secure a blade of extreme flexibility attheend portions and of greater stiffness at the center, so as to preventthe latter from being bent abruptly, while insuring requisite freedom ofmovement at all points and without unduly increasing the thickness,width, or weight of the steel and to this end the steel consists of ablade reduced in width near its central portion and reinforced by a wirewrapping or covering, as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which' Figure 1 is a perspective viewof my improved corset-steel. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blade beforeapplying the wire reinforce, and Fig. 3 a transverse section enlargedthrough the reinforced portion of the blade.

The blade A is preferably of metal, but in view of my improvement neednot be as heavy 'as the blades ordinarily employed. For a part of itslength, and preferably near the center, the said blade is reduced inwidth, forming thereby shoulders a a b b, and about this reduced portionof the blade I apply a wire reinforce, the same consisting of a Wirelapped around the blade with the coils in contact with each other andbearing at all points upon the blade, so as to cover the latter betweenthe shoulders a a b 1), against which the ends of the wire reinforcebear, thereby not only preventing any movement of the reinforce upon theblade, but also holding the coils closely together, so that thereinforce, while imparting greater stifiness to the center of the blade,is also resilient from the bearing of the ends of the coiled-wirereinforce against the shoulders in'case of thebending of the blade. T

As the coils of wire lie flat against the blade at all points and as thebends of the coils lie between the shoulders, the reinforce adds butlittle to the thickness and practically nothing to the width of theblade.

The steel thus formed will be arranged in the corset or other article sothat the reinforce portion occupies the position where the greatest bendoccurs, and thereby tendsto prevent the too abrupt bending and breakingof the steel, so apt to occur atthis point.

While the reinforce hugs the blade so closely that it presentspractically no rotuberance to wear the fabric, to further re uce thispro- .jection of the reinforce and also to bring the coils closelytogether I prefer to submit the 2. A spring-steel for corsets consistingof a flat blade'reduced in width for a part of its length and with areinforce of wire coiled around and covering the reduced portion of theblade, the coils flattened and expanded laterally.

3. A steel for corsets consisting of a flat blade having separatedshoulders,-and a wire reinforcewound upon the blade between saidshoulders and bearing at the ends against the same, the coils in contactwith each other and with the blade at all points.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES E. DOOLITTLE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. ONEILL, C. W. BLAIKIE.

